You may notice that this is that abomination unto the Blog Gods: a pictureless post. Obviously I’ve committed this particular transgression in the past, but this time I have a special dispensation. It may be that my little Nikon-ita has gone to the Big Handbag in the Sky. I still have a few more life-support measures, but it looks grim for my faithful little photography tool. RIP little camera.

Luckily, the prof owns an ancient digital camera (this thing is OLD–the little symbols on the dial appear to be actual hieroglyphics, and I think I’ve seen a photo of Darwin using the same camera) which should be able to supply the (let’s face it, pretty modest) picture demands of this blog. Or I could try to learn to take iPhone camera pictures that don’t look like stills from a covert surveillance videotape. So many choices!

Next up: how I walked out of a yarn-shop holding $80 worth of Sea Silk. Without paying for it. And why I don’t deserve to be arrested.

My apologies for the terrible photography, but this is my rendition of Vesper. I relied heavily on roko’s modifications (and check out the rest of her knitting, it’s fantastic), but added some twists of my own. In case you’re interested, here’s what I did:

CO 384 sts

Knit 16 box pleats into neckline (and one into each sleeve) using roko’s excellent tutorial–meaning on my sweater there are no stitches in between pleats

Made sleeves a touch longer

Waist shaping added to front side only

Rolled stockinette edge at neckline, armholes, and hem

I am really enjoying wearing this, although the back neckline is a little wide. I also enjoyed learning the Russian join for this project. And the wine was good too.

Whyfore have you decided, at the ripe old age of 6, to start stealing stuff and eating it when you ain’t never done that before?

And seriously? Who eats a box of dryer sheets?? What about that seemed appetizing to you? You didn’t eat the sheets, just the box. Scented cardboard is now your idea of a delicacy? The garlic bread I could understand. But why unwrap my candy thermometer? Do you have a secret taffy-making plan of which I am unaware? And chewing up the Prof’s basketball tickets was just mean.

Straighten up and fly right, or you may find that you are an outdoor-only dog. I’m not foolin’. Don’t test me.

I had the privilege of hearing Madeleine Albright speak tonight at the Prof’s university. She was brilliantly articulate, movingly eloquent, gracious, witty, and dynamic. Hearing her, I felt a strong pride in my country and a responsibility as well.

Many of her comments bear repeating, but she said one thing that really struck a chord with me, perhaps because we just covered gender discrimination in Con Law: women today have largely forgotten how much more difficult things were for women only a generation ago. And we have forgotten that we could lose all the gains that our mothers and grandmothers made.

Feminism has become an outmoded idea in American social and political life, and that is deeply unfortunate. If we women blind ourselves to the oppressive conditions of the past, we will never see the inequities that still persist, and we will be powerless to work against them. Perhaps worst of all, we will demonstrate a sad ingratitude to all the women who blazed the trails for us, so that we might walk an easier road than they did.